Brian Cone visits Telluride for the Scallywag’s Ball

By Brian Cone

When Hawkeye invited Kelsey and I to Telluride for a few days of skiing and to attend the foundation’s Scallywags Ball pirate party fundraiser as the de facto “Guest of Hon-Arrrr.” I honestly didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t know much about Hawkeye’s group of Scallywags or all the adaptive athletes who have benefitted from their generosity over the years. I did know that GoHawkeye was generous enough to support my goals of skiing independently with my family and friends in late 2023 by funding a DynAccess Hydra monoski.

Telluride is full of rough edges and soft hearts and this pirate party fundraiser was no exception. I felt embraced and supported from the day I arrived until the morning I left. I was surprised, humbled and impressed by this passionate swashbuckling community. We stayed at GoHawkeye board member Paul Savage’s accessible home that was full of laughter, home cooked food and zip fizz as well as other mono skiers.

The GoHawkeye crew treated me to a couple days of instruction with the Telluride Adaptive Sports Program and then a day skiing with GoHawkeye . Skiing with TASP and Hawkeye reminded me that even though the foundation has made a big impact in my life, it’s not all about me. It’s about skiing Independently with my wife, two daughters and friends and contribute to making meaningful memories in the mountains. But it’s not all about me and my relationships either. It’s also about the next athlete that the foundation helps toward fulfilling their mission. I know that’s why GoHawkeye exists and why many people support this all volunteer group of lovable Scallywags!